Fastening for life-boat covers.



C. F. HUDGINS. FASTENING FOR LIFE BOAT COVERS.

Patented Sept. 6,1910.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1909.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. HUDGINS, 0F NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR O1" ONE-HALF TO FRANK M. PHILLIPS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

FASTENING FOR LIFE-BOAT COVERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. HUDGINS, of Norfolk, Virginia, have invented an Improvement in F astenings for Life-Boat Covers, &c.; and I do hereby declare the follow.- ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

The present invention relates to improvements in means for facilitating the preparation for launching life-boats from vessels, the object of the invention being to reduce the time necessary for disengaging and removing the covers and retaining devices ordinarily employed for protecting and securing the boats upon the deck of a vessel.

The invention consists primarily in a cover or clamp securing device of such construction that a succession or series of devices may be released or operated to release the part-s held thereby through the manipulation of a single lanyard or rope by one member of a life boat crew. In other words, the present invention contemplates, as a substitute for the ordinary lashings for holding a life boat and its cover in place, a series of connected securing devices which may be simultaneously released by one member of the crew.

Referring to the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a life boat showing the application of the present invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line 22 of Fig. l, andFig. 3 is a detail view of one of the automatic securing devices.

Similar letters of reference in the various figures indicate the same parts.

The boat A is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in conventional form and as mounted in chocks B on a vessels deck. It is provided with the usual temporary ridge pole C over which a canvas cover D is spread with the edges of the cover hanging down over the edges of the boat so as to effectively protect the boat and its contents from the weather and from interference by meddlesome persons.

Ordinarily, the life boat itself is fastened down to the deck of the vessel by lashings and the cover is also held in place by lashings applied at suitable intervals along the sides and at the ends of the boats, which lashings, as heretofore employed, have been made independent of each other and each must be separately released before the cover could be removed or the boat released from its connection with the deck. In accordance with the present invention, however, the cover is held in place by a series of flexible connections E preferably passing from one edge of the cover beneaththekeel of the boat and terminating in a ring or eye 6. Depending from the opposite edge of the cover are automatic securing devices adapted to normally engage and hold the ring 6. These devices preferably consist, as shown in Fig. 3, of a base plate F having at the upper end an eye f; at the lower end a pivoted tongue F, and at an intermediate point a loop or tongue retainer F The retainer F is adapted when elevated to release the tongue F, allowing said tongue to swing downwardly by gravity and thereby drop the ring 6. The body F of the device may conveniently be formed of sheet metal with lugs or ears gg for the bearings of the tongue retainer and tongue, respectively, and the tongue retainer may also be formed of sheet metal with an eye it for the attachment of a lanyard H.

The lanyard H passes upwardly and through an eye or ring K conveniently secured to the edge of the cover and is then attached to or forms a part of a longitudinally extending lanyard H passing back to the end of the boat where it may be conveniently pulled by one member of the crew. All of the lanyards H are attached to the main lanyard H and, in addition, the end of the lanyard H is attached to the tongue retainer of a securing device F at the farther end of the boat. A similar securing device F 4 may be located at the end of the boat opposite the device F and one end of the lanyard H secured thereto, whereby one member of the crew located atthe end of the boat may, by depressing the lanyard H simultaneously release all of the cover fastenings, thereby completely freeing the cover so that it may be instantly thrown off at one side leaving the boat entirely clear except for the clamp and davit connections. In order to still further reduce the time necessary to clear the boat from its attachments, the lashings L ordinarily employed in connection with the clamps L for securing the boat down to the deck of the vessel are connected thereto by rings Z and automatic securing devices M which correspond in all respects to the securing devices F hereinbefore described depend from the clamps and engage the rings Z. For releasing the holding tongues or levers of the devices M, they are connected with lanyards N which also extend to theend of the boat and may be secured to the lanyard H. In any event, they extend into a position where a single member of the crew may, by a single pull on the lanyard release all of the securing devices to completely free the boat from its connection with the deck of the vessel. With this arrangement it will be appreciated at once that, instead of requiring the attention and time of a number of men or of a single man for a relatively long period to release and remove the cover and to re- 3 lease the boat from'the deck, a single man may in the fraction of a minute and by a single pull on the lanyard from one point effect the release of all the securing devices, thereby freeing the cover and freeing the :3 boat from the deck and preparing it for launching, except for the removal of the cover which may, when released, be easily and quickly thrown to one side by the members of the crew in preparing to enter the boat or to swing the same out on the davits.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

The combination with a life boat and a removable canvas cover therefor, of a plurality of securing devices depending from the side of said cover each securing device embodying a base plate having an eye at its upper end, a tongue pivoted at the lower end thereof, a loop pivoted to the plate intermediate said eye and tongue and adapted when swung down over the tongue to hold the tongue in locked position, and a lanyard connected with the loops, whereby the loops may be simultaneously raised and the tongue permitted to fall by gravity.

C. F. HUDGINS.

WVitnesses J AS. H. BROOKS, J. T. AVERY. 

